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| June 29, 2012 News |
| F2000 Championship: La Rocca Fast Around New Jersey |
 | Robert La Rocca remains the driver to beat in 2012 after leading both practice runs at NJMP
(Photo: F2000 Championship Series - Valet) |
At the conclusion of two F2000 practice sessions on a very hot Friday (June 29) at New Jersey Motorsports Park, it was Robert La Rocca on the top of the time sheets in the No. 10 HP-Tech Van Diemen with a lap of 1:19.054.
Following the Venezuelan driver around the Thunderbolt track for the second practice were Kevin Kopp, Wyatt Gooden, Tim Minor – in the Citation chassis, and Niki Coello, in a RFR.
“The track is fast, and better without the chicane,” said La Rocca, who last drove New Jersey in a Skip Barber car. “We made some shock changes, and are trying to improve the setup before qualifying.”
La Rocca has won five out of six races thus far in 2012, generating a runaway points lead, and he just returned from Belgium where he contested an F3 race at the famed Spa track.
Kopp, who is part of and expanded WISKO F2000 team in New Jersey found more speed in the afternoon run.
“The car was really loose this morning and we couldn’t find any grip,” said Kopp. “We made some changes during the break and the car seemed to improve.”
Gooden, the only other driver to stand atop of the podium besides La Rocca in 2012, was third quick in both sessions.
“I spent the first practice session testing out different lines on the track. I tried to use the same line I ran last year at this track in TDI Cup, but then I found the line for an open-wheel car is drastically different. I expect to get a better feel for the line and the track as the weekend continues,” added Gooden in the No. 6 Quantum Racing Services Van Diemen.
Minor and Coello rounded out the top-five and were followed in the afternoon session by Colin Daley, Chris Livengood, Zach Craigo, John Brumber, and Paul Alspach.
Daley, a 15-year old Jamaican driver, was in his first ever F2000 practice session for Group A Racing
“There was oversteer and it was not my best session, since we tested here a few times. For the second practice we tried different setups. The car is just a bigger kart, and as far as the traffic goes it’s all about judgment.”
WISKO’s expansion to three cars went as planned, with Alspach, out of FE cars and just 18 years old, and Jason Rabe.
Rabe comes to F2000 from various SCCA classes including SRF, FM and DSRs. More interestingly, Rabe, 28, moved to the Millville area to work at New Jersey Motorsports Park as a flagger three years ago, living out of his car for a month.
“It was network, network, network,” he said. “I crewed for teams in exchange for seat time and now I’m an instructor at the club here.”
Making matters even more challenging for a few teams, including championship leader HP-Tech Motorsport, was a summer storm that rolled through the paddock Thursday night, with high winds having their way with a number of awnings, one of which was found well down the front straight in the morning.
Of note, 2011’s six-race-winner Kyle Connery has withdrawn from the weekend, citing car issues.
The weekend continues with Saturday morning (June 30) qualifying at 8:50 am and race one at 10:50 am, both feature live audio and updates on http://www.F2000Series.com as does Sunday (July 1), with qualifying taking place at 9:00 am, followed by the conclusion of the F2000 Championship Series weekend with race two at 3:50 pm.
The top-three will be posted following every session on the EFCN Facebook page, and EFCN Twitter page.
F2000 Championship Series
Round 7 - Combined Practice Results
June 29, 2012
New Jersey Motorsports Park - Millville, New Jersey
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Fast Time | Session| 1. | Robert La Rocca | HP-Tech Motorsports | 1:19.054 | Session 2 | | 2. | Niki Coello | Coello Racing | 1:19.780 | Session 1 | | 3. | Wyatt Gooden | Quantum Mechanics Racing Services | 1:19.906 | Session 1 | | 4. | Kevin Kopp | WISKO F2000 | 1:20.481 | Session 1 | | 5. | Tim Minor (M) | Ski Motorsports | 1:20.838 | Session 1 | | 6. | Chris Livengood | John Walko Racing | 1:21.157 | Session 1 | | 7. | Collin Daley | Group A Racing | 1:21.163 | Session 1 | | 8. | John Brumder (M) | Front Range Motorsports | 1:21.262 | Session 1 | | 9. | Zach Craigo | Front Range motorsports | 1:21.631 | Session 1 | | 10. | Tim Paul | SMR/GTP Motorsports | 1:21.866 | Session 1 | | 11. | Paul Alspach | WISKO F2000 | 1:22.237 | Session 2 | | 12. | Jose Montiel | HP-Tech Motorsports | 1:22.549 | Session 2 | | 13. | Nick Palacio | Primus Racing | 1:23.386 | Session 1 | | 14. | Chris Monteleone | Mountain Lion Motorsports | 1:23.523 | Session 1 | | 15. | Jeff McCusker (M) | Company Motorsports | 1:23.983 | Session 1 | | 16. | Jason Rabe | WISKO F2000 | 1:24.445 | Session 1 | | 17. | Dave Weitzenhof (M) | Weitzenhof Racing | 1:25.463 | Session 2 | | 18. | Doug Rocco | Jagermeister Racing | 1:25.728 | Session 1 | | 19. | Bob Wright (M) | ADSA/Wright Racing | 1:26.994 | Session 1 | | 20. | Dennis McCarthy | Jaegermeister Racing | 1:27.140 | Session 2 | | 21. | Tom Drake (M) | Alleycat Racing | 1:28.104 | Session 2 | | 22. | John LaRue (M) | LaRue Racing | 1:34.250 | Session 1 | |
(M) = Masters class |
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